Earticle

초록

영어

Category-based hedges pose considerable interpretive difficulty, not only for language learners but even for some experts. To better understand how such expressions are processed, this study investigates Chinese EFL learners’ comprehension of six hedges (strictly speaking, loosely speaking, in that, sort of, typical, and technically) in semantic-pragmatic tasks. 125 university students with high-level English proficiency completed a judgment task with a supplementary revision task. The Rasch analysis revealed great variability in item difficulty, with items involving in that and loosely speaking emerging as the most challenging, and suggested that many learners with high-level English proficiency failed to notice the semantic-pragmatic constraints of hedges. The generalized linear mixed modeling (GLMM) results showed that frequency of exposure was the only significant predictor of judgment accuracy, supporting usage-based accounts that emphasize repeated input. In contrast, English majors displayed higher revision accuracy in the supplementary revision task, suggesting that output-based tasks need greater metalinguistic awareness. The study contributes new item-level and learner-level insights into hedge processing and suggests pedagogical directions for enhancing learners’ sensitivity to category-based hedges.

목차

I. Introduction
1. Background
2. Purpose and Significance
3. Research Questions
II. Literature Review
1. Theoretical Framework
2. Six Hedges
3. Two Tasks
III. Methodology
1. Participants
2. Instruments and Procedures
3. Data Analysis
IV. Results
1. Rasch Model Results for Item Difficulty Levels (RQ1)
2. Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) Results for Person-Level Variables in Judgment Tasks (RQ2)
V. Discussion
1. Semantic-Pragmatic Difficulty of Hedge Expressions
2. Effects of Input Frequency and Learner Background Variables
3. Pedagogical Implications
VI. Conclusion
Works Cited
Appendix 
Abstract

키워드

저자

• Zhang, Dixiu [ Jeonbuk National University ]
• Lee, Heechul [ Jeonbuk National University ] Corresponding Author

참고문헌

발행기관

간행물

표지보기 관심저널 등록

• 간행물명

  영어영문학연구 [The Jungang Journal of English Language and Literature]

• 간기

  계간

• pISSN

  1598-3293

• 수록기간

  1968~2026

• 등재여부

  KCI 등재

• 십진분류

  KDC 840 DDC 810